Premium 03 - FBI vs PTK round 1, or, Behavioral Science or BS? (Patreon)

Today, I look at the concept of serial killers as laid out by the FBI, specifically in Agent John E. Douglas's book 'Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit' and Netflix series, and then I compare it to Dave McGowan's 'Programmed to Kill: the Politics of Serial Murder'. I talk about the history of the concept, specifically the FBI's revisionism in pretending they invented the study of serial killers, right?

Then I go into Ed Kemper (and to a lesser degree Herb Mullin) as depicted in the book and show, and the very interesting facts that get curiously left out of these popular histories. Full warning: it gets pretty weird, as we get into 'behavioral modification' experiments at Atascadero and Vacaville, and if Vacaville comes up, you know the Symbionese Liberation Army will as well. Check it out!

song: Murder On My Mind by YNW Melly